From KPTV Fox 12 News

SEASIDE, Ore. -- Sirens sounded on the Oregon Coast this morning after an earthquake in Japan triggered an Oregon tsunami warning as well as a warning for most of the West Coast.

Gas stations in Tillamook and Seaside were unusually busy between 4 and 5 a.m. as people filled up before leaving coastal towns and heading for Portland. The Oregon Department of Transportation says there was heavy congestion on Highway 101 and they asked drivers not to head west on Highway 126 in an effort to keep traffic flowing smoothly. 

Mark Winstanley, the Seaside city manager, says the city activated its reverse 911 system to notify people along beaches and rivers of the tsunami warning, which carries possible wave heights of 2 to 6 feet on the Oregon Coast.

Winstanley says people in Seaside have been calm. There are no mandatory evacuations in Seaside, but officials recommend residents head for higher ground."It's been very orderly -- the worst case we've seen is that gas stations have been very busy," Winstanley says.

City officials warned that a tsunami is not just one wave, but a series of large waves that are expected to arrive on the coast between 7:12 a.m. and 7:24 a.m. As a precaution, people in Seaside were advised to stay away from the beaches and all low-lying areas adjacent to rivers and tidelands until at least 8 a.m.

FOX 12 meteorologists forecast wave heights of 4 ½ feet at Clatsop Spit and about 3 ½ feet in Cannon Beach. Information indicated waves of more than 6 feet could hit the southern Oregon coastal town of Brookings.Gov.

John Kitzhaber says he has been in regular contact with state emergency management staff. He asked Oregonians to heed Oregon Coast tsunami warning alarms and follow instructions from public safety officials.In Depoe Bay, firefighters say they're helping with evacuations and they advise anyone who is in the inundation zone to seek high ground.

Kirk Church, the mayor of South Bend, Wash., issued the same warning to people in the Long Beach area.Dave Thompson, a spokesman with the Oregon Department of Transportation, says there's no need to panic for people leaving the Oregon Coast. He says there were some crashes this morning because people were driving too fast and Oregon State police warned of icy conditions near the Coast Range summit.

A handful of coast school districts, including Seaside, Lincoln County and Warrenton-Hammond, have either canceled classes or announced two-hour delays.In Japan, the quake unleashed a 23-foot tsunami and dozens of aftershocks. Hundreds of bodies have been found so far.